Process for making a polyzwitterion or polyzwitterionic acid

ABSTRACT

A zwitterionic monomer and corresponding cyclopolymerized polyzwitterion (±) (PZ) (i.e. poly(Z-alt-SO 2 ). Phosophonate ester hydroloysis in PZ gave a pH-responsive polyzwitterionic acid (±) (PZA). The PZA under pH-induced transformation was converted into polyzwitterion/anion (±−) (PZAN) and polyzwitterion/dianion (±=) (PZDAN).

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of Ser. No. 14/144,094, nowallowed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a zwitterionic monomer, apolyzwitterion synthesized from the zwitterionic monomer, apH-responsive polyzwitterionic acid synthesized from the polyzwitterion,a polyzwitterion/anion and polyzwitterion/dianion synthesized from thepolyzwitterionic acid, and the corresponding methods by which eachcompound and polymer is formed and use of the polyzwitterionic acid asan antiscalant.

Description of the Related Art

The “background” description provided herein is for the purpose ofgenerally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of thepresently named inventors, to the extent it is described in thisbackground section, as well as aspects of the description which may nototherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neitherexpressly or impliedly admitted as prior art against the presentinvention.

The architecture of Butler's cyclopolymers from diallylammonium salts(Butler G B. Cyclopolymerization and cyclocopolymerization. New York:Marcel Dekker; 1992; Kudaibergenov S, et al.; Polymeric betaines:synthesis characterization and application. Adv. Polym Sci 2006;201:157-224; Singh P K, et al.; Zwitterionic polyelectrolytes: A review.E-Polymers 2007; 030:1-34; Jaeger W, et al.; Synthetic polymers withquaternary nitrogen atoms-Synthesis and structure of the most used typeof cationic polyelectrolytes. Prog Polym Sci 2010; 35:511-77—eachincorporated herein by reference in its entirety) has been Recognized asthe eighth major structural type of synthetic polymers (Butler G B.Cyclopolymerization. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 2000; 38:3451-3461;McGrew F C. Structure of synthetic high polymers. J Chem Ed. 1958;35:178-186—each incorporated hereinby reference in its entirety). Theseionic polymers have found manifold applications in industrial processes.Use of sulfur dioxide in the cyclopolymerization protocol provides valueadded diallyl ammonium salts/SO2 copolymers (Ali S A, et al.;Comparative solution properties of cyclocopolymers having cationic,anionic, witterionic and zwitterionic/anionic backbones of similardegree of polymerization. Polymer 2012; 53:3368-3377; Abu-Thabit N.Y.,et al.; Phosphonobetaine/sulfur dioxide copolymer by Butler'scyclopolymerization process. Eur Polym J 2011; 47:1113-23; Ali S A, etal.; Synthesis and comparative solution properties of single-, twin, andtriple-tailed associating ionic polymers based on diallylammonium salts.J Polym Sci Part A Polym Chem 2006; 44:5480 94; Umar Y, et al.; Theeffects of charge densities on the associative properties of a pHresponsive hydrophobically modified sulfobetaine/sulfur dioxideterpolymer. Polymer 2005; 46:10709-17—each incorporated herein byreference in its entirety). The nitrogen center in the repeat unit maybear a positive charge as in cationic polyelectrolytes (+). Alternately,the nitrogen center may act as the cationic part of a polyzwitterion (±)containing carboxylate, phosphonate or sulfonate as the negative centersor be the cationic part of a polyampholyte (+−) having a polymer chaincontaining equal or unequal amounts of opposite charges (Abu-Thabit,N.Y., Al-Muallem H A, Ali S A. The pH-responsive Cycloterpolymers ofDiallyl dimethyl ammonium chloride,3(N,N-Diallylammonio)propanesulfonate, and Sulfur dioxide. J Appl PolymSci 2011; 120:3662-73—incorporated herein by reference in its entirety).Strong intragroup, intra- and interchain electrostatic dipole-dipoleattractions among the dipolar motifs in polyzwitterions (PZs) lead to acollapsed or globular conformation which can undergo a globule-to-coiltransition (“antipolyelectrolyte” effect) in salt (e.g. NaCl) solutionsowing to the disruption of the network of ionic cross-links (Wielema TA, et al.; Zwitterionic polymers—I Synthesis of a novel series ofpoly(vinylsulphobetaines). Effect of structure of polymer on solubilityin water. Eur Polym J 1987; 23:947-50; Salamone J C, et al.; Aqueoussolution properties of a poly(vinyl imidazolium sulphobetaine. Polymer1978; 19:1157-62; Dobrynin A V, et al.; Flory Theory of a PolyampholyteChain. J Phys II 1995; 5: 677-95; Higgs P G, et al.; Theory ofPolyampholyte Solutions. J Chem Phys 1991; 94:1543-54—each incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety). More effective screening of thepositive centers in a (±) PZ by Cl-ions as compared to the screening ofthe negative charges by Na+ ions results in each dipolar zwitterionicmotif having a net negative charge, repulsion among which leads to chainexpansion (Corpart J, Candau F. Aqueous solution properties ofampholytic copolymers prepared in microemulsions. Macromolecules 1993;26:1333-1343; Skouri M, et al.; Conformation of neutral polyampholytechains in salt solutions: a light scattering study. Macromolecules 1994;27:69-6—each incorporated herein by reference in its entirety). PZs canserve as an excellent polar host matrix owing to their high dipolemoments (Yoshizawa M, et al.; Molecular brush having molten salt domainfor fast ion conduction. Chem. Lett. 1999; 889-90—incorporated herein byreference in its entirety). The pH-responsive biomimic PZs have beenutilized in various fields including: medical (Chan G Y N, et al.;Approaches to improving the biocompatibility of porousperfluoropolyethers for ophthalmic applications. Biomaterials 2006;27:1287-95—incorporated herein by reference in its entirety),nanotechnology tools (You Ye-Zi, et al.; Directly growing ionic polymerson multi-walled carbon nanotubes via surface RAFT polymerization.Nanotechnology. 2006; 17:2350-4—incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety), cosmetics and pharmaceuticals (Kudaibergenov, S E.Polyampholytes: Synthesis, Characterization, and Application. PlenumCorporation; New York: 2002; Salamone J C, et al.; In: Encycl Polym SciEng. Mark, H F, Bikales N M, Overberger, C G, Menges G, Kroschwitz H.Eds.; John Wiley & Sons, Inc: New York; 1987: 11, 514-30; Mumick P S,Welch P M, Salazar L C, McCormick C L. Water-soluble copolymers. 56.Structure and solvation effects of polyampholytes in drag reduction.Macromolecules 1994; 27:323-31—each incorporated herein by reference inits entirety), procedures for DNA assay (Filippini D, et al.; Computerscreen photo-assisted detection of complementary DNA strands using aluminescent zwitterionic polythiophene derivative. Sensors and ActuatorsB. 2006; 113:410-8—incorporated herein by reference in its entirety),chelation of toxic trace metals (Ni, Cu, Cd, and Hg) in wastewatertreatment, drilling-mud additives (Zhang L M, et al.; New water-solubleampholytic polysaccharides for oilfield drilling treatment: apreliminary study. Carbohydr Polym 2001; 44:255-260—incorporated hereinby reference in its entirety), and water in oil emulsions (Didukh A G,et al.; Oil Gas 2004; 4:64-75—incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety).

When the monomer which represents repeating units of the polymercontains an ammonium group and a matching anionic group, it belongs tothe betaine family and the charges form an inner salt. A distinctivefeature of the polymers of the invention is that they are electricallyneutral polymers even though the betaine groups have both positive andnegative charges. The positive charge is provided by a quaternaryammonium function, and the negative charge is provided by a sulfonate(sulfobetaines) or phosphonate (phosphobetaines) group.

Some copolymers were obtained by copolymerization of acrylamide withcarboxybetaine type monomers. Their properties in solution greatlydepend on the pH value and they are incompatible with the desiredproperties. In fact, at a low pH value, the protonation of thecarboxylate functions leads to the loss of the zwitterionic characterand the copolymer behaves like a cationic polyelectrolyte, thussensitive to the presence of salt in particular.

The polybetaines described here have the advantage of keeping theirzwitterionic character within a wide pH range. Certain acrylaride andsulfobetaine copolymers have already been described, but they resultfrom synthesis processes carried out in the presence of salts, which isof notable importance for the structures obtained.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The foregoing paragraphs have been provided by way of generalintroduction, and are not intended to limit the scope of the followingclaims. The described embodiments, together with further advantages,will be best understood by reference to the following detaileddescription taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

One embodiment of the disclosure includes a zwitterionic monomer.

Another embodiment includes a method for synthesizing and copolymerizingthe zwitterionic monomer to form a polyzwitterion (±) (PZ) containing arepeating unit of a diallylammonium group containing bothdiethylphosphonate and sulfonate functionalities, and a sulfur dioxideunit.

Another embodiment includes a method in which hydrolysis of thephosphonate ester in the (±) (PZ) forms a pH-responsive polyzwitterionicacid (±) (PZA).

Another embodiment includes a method in which the (±) (PZA) undergoespH-induced transformation and is converted into a polyzwitterion/anion(±−) (PZAN) and a polyzwitterion/dianion (±=) (PZDAN).

Another embodiment includes using the (±) (PZA) as an antiscalant in areverse osmosis desalinization plant to inhibit or treat the formationof a scale.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete appreciation of the disclosure and many of the attendantadvantages thereof will be readily obtained as the same becomes betterunderstood by reference to the following detailed description whenconsidered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGS. 1A-1C show ¹H NMR spectra of the corresponding polymers in (+NaCl)in D₂O;

FIGS. 2A-2C show ¹³C NMR spectra of the corresponding polymers in(+NaCl) in D₂O;

FIG. 3 shows a TGA curve of PZ 5;

FIG. 4 shows a diagram demonstrating the viscosity behavior in 0.1 MNaCl of different polymers;

FIG. 5 shows a diagram demonstrating the viscosity behavior in salt-freewater of different polymers;

FIG. 6 shows a diagram demonstrating the viscosity behavior in 0.1 MNaCl of different polymers;

FIG. 7 shows a plot for the apparent (a) log K₁ versus degree ofprotonation (α) and (b) log K₂ versus α for (±−) PZAN 7 in salt-freewater and 0.1 M NaCl;

FIG. 8 shows a graph demonstrating the reduced viscosity (η_(sp)/C) at30° C. of a solution solution of polymer PZA 6 in 0.1 N NaCl; and

FIG. 9 shows the precipitation behavior of a supersaturated solution ofCaSO₄ in the presence (20 ppm) and absence of PZA 6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designateidentical or corresponding parts throughout the several views. Thedisclosure includes the zwitterionic monomer 4 having the followingstructure (I):

Zwitterionic monomer 4 of formula (I) is a cationic nitrogen-containingcompound bonded to two allyl units. The nitrogen atom is further bondedto phospho- and sulfopropyl groups. The formula for each phosophonategroup is (—P(O)(OH)₂ or —P(O)(OR₂) where the “R” group may be the sameor different and is preferably a C₁-C₆ alkyl or C₆-C₁₂ aryl groupselected from the group consisting of methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl,pentyl, or hexyl or the aryl groups selected from the group consistingof phenyl, tolyl, xylyl, mesityl, naphthyl, biphenyl and any isomersthereof. “R” may be substituted or unsubstituted. Preferably the “R”group of the phosphonate group is an ethyl group.

The copolymerization of the zwitterionic monomer 4 with SO₂ to obtain(±) PZ 5, a precursor to pH-responsive polyzwitterion acid (±) (PZA) 6,is presented in Scheme 1. The pH-induced dissociation of dibasic acid(±) (PZA) 6 leads to polyzwitterion/anion (PZAN) (±−) 7 andpolyzwitterion/dianion (PZDAN) (±=) 8 whose structures are akin to thetype 1 polymers having repeating units with charge asymmetry. Thecyclopolymerization protocol has documented very few such copolymers ofthe type 1 bearing (±−) or (±=) ionic traits on the polymer chains(Mazumder M A J, et al.; Synthesis and solution properties of a newpoly(electrolyte-zwitterion). Polymer 2004; 45:125-32; Ali, M M, et al.;Polymerization of functionalized diallyl quaternary salt topoly(ampholyte-electrolyte). Polymer 2000; 41:5591-600; Ali S A, et al.;J Appl Polym Sci, DOT: 10.1002/app. 38835—each incorporated herein byreference in its entirety). Cyclopolymers 4-8 having phophonate,sulfonate as well as a SO₂ spacer in the same repeating unit is alsopresented in Scheme 1 where the alkoxy group of the phosphonate isdescribed as an ethoxy group, other alkoxy groups may be used in placeof the ethoxy group.

As depicted in Scheme 1, a polymer 1 serves as a generic model for thepolymers polyzwitterion (PZ) 5, polyzwitterionic acid (PZA) (ZH₂ ^(±))6, poly(zwitterion/anion) (PZAN) (ZH^(±−)) 7, andpoly(zwitterion/dianon) (PZDA) (Z^(±=)) 8 that are formed fromzwitterionic monomer 4. Polymer 1 has the following structure:

Polymer 1 includes repeating units of a five-membered heterocyclic ringhaving a nitrogen atom bonded to a linking unit comprising a phosphonategroup with the formula for each phosphonate group being —P(O)(OH)₂ or—P(O)(OR)₂ where the “R” group is preferably an alkyl or aryl groupselected from the group consisting of methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl,pentyl, or hexyl or the awl groups selected from the group consisting ofphenyl, tolyl, xylyl, mesityl, naphthyl, biphenyl and any isomersthereof. “R” may be substituted or unsubstituted. Preferably the “R”group of the phosphonate group is an ethyl group.

The phosphonate and linking groups can be further represented in polymer1 as —(CH₂)_(x)-A^(n−). More specifically, the variable “x” representsthe number of methylene units, and “x” is 3. The group “A^(n−)”represents a phosphonate group. Variable “n⁻” represents the chargevalue of the corresponding phosphonate group and also the coefficientrepresenting the number of atoms of the cationic counter ion having asingle charge (the number of counter ions having double charge wouldtherefore be only ½ of the number of counter ions having a singlecounter ion). The “n” represents the number of repeating units of thecorresponding polymer and “n” is at least 10, preferably at least 15,20, 40, 80, or 100. In one aspect of the invention the polymer is ahomopolymer that includes repeating units consisting of only thefive-membered ring and the SO₂ groups, with the polymer alternatelyhaving one or more different terminal units. More preferably, “n” is inthe range of 20-1,500; 40-1,400; 80-1,300; or 100-1,200. Cationicmaterials such as K⁺, Cu⁺, or Li⁺ and dicationic materials such as Ca²⁺,Cr²⁺, Cu^(2±), Fe²⁺, Pb²⁺, Mg²⁺, Mn²⁺, Hg²⁺, Sr²⁺, Sn²⁺, or Zn²⁺ may beused in place of Na⁺.

The nitrogen atom included in the five-membered heterocyclic ring isalso bonded to a linking unit comprising a sulfonate group with theformula (—SO₃). The sulfonate group and linking groups can be furtherrepresented in polymer 1 as —(CH₂)_(y)—B^(θ) in polymer 1. The variable“y” represents the number of methylene units, and “y” is 3. The variable“B” represents the sulfonate group.

A sulfur dioxide group (—SO₂—) is further bonded to the five-memberedheterocyclic ring through a linking group (—CH₂). In one embodiment ofthe invention, the copolymer includes only repeating units of adiallylammonium unit and a SO₂ unit.

As further depicted in Scheme 1, a solution of the monomer 2, which is atertiary amine, diethyl 3-(diallylamino)propylphosphonate, is treatedwith a cyclic sulfonate ester of a hydroxy sulfonic acid 3, morepreferably in the form of propane sultone to yield a monomericzwitterion 4. The treatment of monomer 2 with ester 3 yields theresultant anionic sulfonate material and thus balances the cationiccharge of the nitrogen atom of the 5-membered heterocyclic ring. Themonomeric zwitterion 4 is the monomer 3-[diallyl{3-(diethoxyphosphoryl)propyl}ammonio]propane-1-sulfonate. The monomeris a cationic nitrogen-containing compound bonding to units where thephosphoryl group consists of the formula C—P(O)(OR)₂ where the “R” groupis preferably an alkyl group selected from the group consisting ofmethyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl, pentyl, or hexyl or an aryl group selectedfrom the group consisting of phenyl, tolyl, xylyl, mesityl, naphthyl,biphenyl and any isomers thereof. Preferably the “R” group of thephosphonate group is an ethyl group.

The monomeric zwitterion 4 is then treated with a polymerizing agent andSO₂. The polymerizing agent includes but is not limited to a peroxidesolution, more preferably a tert-butyl hydroperoxide solution (TBHP),which acts to initiate cyclopolymerization of the zwitterionic monomer 4to yield a polyzwitterion 5. The polyzwitterion 5 contains the corestructure following the model of polymer 1, further including thephosphoryl group with the formula C—P(O)(OR)₂ where the “R” group ispreferably an alkyl group selected from the group consisting of methyl,ethyl, propyl, butyl, pentyl, or hexyl or the aryl groups consisting ofphenyl, tolyl, xylyl, mesityl, naphthyl, biphenyl and any isomersthereof. Preferably the “R” group of the phosphonate group is an ethylgroup.

The polyzwitterion 5 is then treated with a solution of water and aconcentrated inorganic acid, more preferably HCl, to yield apolyzwitterionic acid (PZA) (ZH₂ ^(±)) 6, which contains two hydroxygroups in the formula of the phosphonate group. (PZA) (ZH₂ ^(±)) 6contains the structure following the model of polymer 1, furtherincluding the phosphonate group in the form of C—P(O)(OH)₂.Polyzwitterionic acid 6 may be used as an antiscalant in reverse osmosisplants against mineral scales such as CaCO₃, CaSO₄, Mg(OH)₂.

Treatment of (PZA) (ZH₂ ^(±)) 6 with an alkaline material, e.g. NaOH,KOH, Ca(OH)₂ and the like, deprotonates one of the hydroxy groups of thephosphonate group to provide a polymeric material having an anioniccharge. The anionically charged derivative of (PZA) (ZH₂ ^(±)) 6 isshown as poly(zwitterion/anion) (PZAN) (ZH^(±−)) 7.

Upon further treatment of (PZAN) (ZH^(±−)) 7 with additional base, theanionic oxygen atom of the phosphonate group forms a (Na⁺⁻O) complexbonded to the phosphorus atom to yield a dianionic charge. Thedianionically charged derivative of the (PZAN) (ZH^(±−)) 7 is shown aspoly(zwitterion/dianon) (PZDA) (Z^(±=)) 8.

Both (PZAN) (ZH^(±−)) 7 and (PZDA) (Z^(±=)) 8 may also be used asantiscalants in reverse osmosis plants against mineral scales thatcontain mineral compounds such as CaCO₃, CaSO₄, Mg(OH)₂.

The dianionically charged monomer 11(Z^(±=)) and the dianionicallycharged polymer 12 (Z±=) are comparative examples to PZDAN (Z⁺⁼) 8. Bothmonomer 11 and polymer 12 do not contain the SO₂ repeating unit presentin the copolymer PZDAN (Z^(±=)) 8.

The synthesis of monomer 4 preferably occurs by the method of (Haladu SA, Ali S A. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem: Submitted—incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety): 2,2′-Azoisobutyronitrile (AIBN)from Fluka A G (Buchs, Switzerland) was crystallized(ethanol-chloroform). Dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), dried over calciumhydride overnight, was distilled (bp 64-65° C. at 4 mmHg). A Spectra/Pormembrane (MWCO of 6000-8000 from Spectrum Laboratories, Inc) was usedfor dialysis.

The cyclopolymerization of the monomer 4 preferably occurs by thefollowing method: in a typical cyclopolymerization (see Table 1, entry3), adsorption of SO₂ (20 mmol) in a solution of monomer 4 (7.95 g, 20mmol) in DMSO (7.2 g) was followed by the addition of initiator (AIBN)(80 mg). The reaction mixture under N₂ in a closed flask was stirred at60° C. for 20 h. Within 30 min, the magnetic bar stopped stirring withthe appearance of a transparent thick gel. At the end, the hardpolymeric mass was crushed to powder with the aid of acetone, soaked inmethanol, filtered, and washed with hot (50° C.) acetone to obtaincopolymer (±) PZ 5 (8.0 g, 87%). The thermal decomposition: brown colorat 270° C. and black at 290° C. (Found: C, 41.3; H, 7.2; N, 2.9; S,13.6%. C₁₆H₃₂NO₈PS₂ requires C, 41.64; H, 6.99; N, 3.03; S, 13.89%);ν_(max) (KBr). 3447 (br), 2985, 1651, 1486, 1370, 1316, 1217, 1100,1043, 966, 788, 732 cm⁻¹. δ_(P) (202 MHz, D₂O): 30.81 (s). ¹H and ¹³CNMR spectra of PZ 5 are shown in respective FIGS. 1 and 2.

Conversion of PZ 5 to PZA 6 preferably occurs by the following method:PZ 5 (5.0 g, 10.8 mmol) (entry 3, Table 1) was hydrolyzed in water (30mL) and HCl (40 mL) at 90° C. for 24 h. During dialysis of thehomogeneous mixture (24 h), the polymer separated within 1 h as a gelwhich redissolved after 3 h. The resulting polymer solution wasfreeze-dried to obtain (±) PZA 6 as a white solid (4.2 g, 96%). Thethermal decomposition: the color changed to dark brown and black at 275°C. and 285° C., respectively; (Found: C, 35.2; H, 6.2; N, 3.3; S, 15.5%.C₁₂H₂₄NO₈PS₂ requires C, 35.55; H, 5.97; N, 3.45; S, 15.82%); ν_(max)(KBr): 3445 (br), 2971, 2928, 1643, 1471, 1411, 1311, 1215 (br), 1132,1042, 982, 932, 789, 733 cm⁻¹. δ_(P) (202 MHz, D₂O): 25.52 (s). The ¹Hand ¹³C NMR spectra of PZA 6 are shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

TABLE 1 Copolymerization^(a) of monomer 3 with sulfur dioxide. Intrin-sic^(c) En- Mono- Ini- viscos- try mer DMSO tiator^(b) Yield ity No.(mmol) (g) (mg) (%) (dL g⁻¹) M _(W) (PDI)^(d) 1 10 3.6 30 93 0.517 2 103.6 50 92 0.578 1.37 × 10⁵ 2.1 3 20 7.2 80 87 0.901 2.44 × 10⁵ 2.2^(a)An equimolar mixture of monomer 4 and SO₂ was polymerized at 60° C.for 20 h. ^(b)Azobisisobutyronitrile. ^(c)Viscosity of 1-0.0625% polymersolution in 0.1N NaCl at 30° C. was measured with Ubbelohde Viscometer(K = 0.005718). ^(d)Polydispersity index.A 2% (w/w) mixture of 5 or 6 in a solvent was stirred at 70° C. for 1 hand the solubility behavior was then checked at 23° C. (Table 2). Thesolubility behaviors are given in Table 2.

TABLE 2 Solubility^(a,b) of PZ 5 and PZA 6. Solvent ε PZ 5 PZA 6Formamide 111 + + Water 78.4 + + Formic acid 58.5 + + DMSO 47.0 + −Ethylene glycol 37.3 + − DMF 37.0 − − Methanol 32.3 − − Triethyleneglycol 23.7 − − Acetic acid 6.15 + − ^(a)polymer (2% w/w) mixture inwater was heated at 70° C. for 1 h and then cooled to 23° C. ^(b)‘+’indicates soluble, ‘−’ indicates insoluble. ^(c) 5% (w/w) of PZA 6 wasinsoluble in water.

Polymer PZA 6 (25 mg, 5 wt %) is insoluble in water (0.5 mL) but solublein excess water (1.0 mL). A solution of PZA 6 (30 mg, 0.0617 mmol) in1.04 M HCl (2.30 mL) was titrated with salt-free water until cloudiness.The first appearance of cloud required addition of water (1.35 mL). Atthis point the concentration of the polymer and HCl are calculated to be0.0169 and 0.655 M HCl, respectively. Continued addition of water (50.5mL) leads to disappearance of the cloudy mixture to colorless solution.That translates into the solubility of 0.00114 M polymer in 0.0442 MHCl.

The first and second step protonation constants, K₁ and K₂, of polymer 8[ZH₂ ^(⊥=)] were determined by potentiometric titrations under N₂ inCO₂-free water as described elsewhere using PZA 6 [ZH₂ ^(±)] insalt-free water or 0.1 M NaCl (200 mL) (Tables 3 and 4) of (Al-Muallem HA, Wazeer M I M, Ali S A. Synthesis and solution properties of a newpH-responsive polymer containing amino acid residues. Polymer 2002;43:4285-95—incorporated by reference herein in its entirety). The Log K₁of —PO₃ ²⁻ (in 8) and Log K₂ of —PO₃H⁻ (in 7) are calculated at each pHvalue by the Henderson-Hasselbalch eq 2 (Scheme 1) where the ratios[ZH^(±−)]_(eq)/[Z]_(o) and [ZH₂ ^(±)]_(eq)/[Z]_(o) represent therespective degree of protonation (α). The [ZH^(±−)]_(eq) and [ZH₂^(±)]_(eq) are the equilibrium concentrations of the first (7) andsecond (6) protonated species and [Z]_(o) is the initial concentrationof the repeating units.

For the determination of log K₂ of —PO₃H⁻ (i.e. [ZH^(±−)]) usingtitration of polymer 6 [ZH₂ ⁺] with NaOH, [Z]_(o) and [ZH₂ ⁺]_(eq) arerelated by [ZH₂ ⁺]_(eq)=[Z]_(o)—C_(OH) ⁻—C_(OH) ⁻—[H⁺]+[OH⁻], whereC_(OH) ⁻[H⁺] and [OH⁻] represent the added concentration of NaOH, and[H⁺] and [OH⁻] describe the equilibrium concentrations as calculatedfrom the pH values (Felty W K. Intuitive and general approach toacid-base equilibriumcalculations. J Chem Educ 1978; 55(9):576; BarbucciR, Casolaro M, Ferruti P, Barone V, Lelji F, Oliva L.Properties-structure relationship for polymeric bases whose monomericunits behave independently towards protonation. Macromolecules 1981;14:1203-9—each incorporated herein by reference in its entirety). Thelog K₁ for the first step protonation of —PO₃ ²⁻ (i.e. [Z^(±=)]) wascalculated using volume of the titrant after deducting the equivalentvolume from the total volume. In this case, α represents the ratio[ZH^(±)]_(eq)/[Z]_(o) whereby [ZH^(±−)]_(eq) equals [Z]_(o)—C_(OH)⁻—[H⁺]+[OH⁻].

The linear regression fit of pH vs. log [(1−α)/α)] (eq 2, Scheme 1) gave‘n’ and log K^(o), the respective slope and intercept. The apparentbasicity constants K_(i) is described by eq 3 (Scheme 1) where logK^(o)=pH at α=0.5 and n=1 in the case of sharp basicity constants.Simultaneous protonation of the three basic sites: —PO₃ ⁼ (log K₁≈+8),—PO₃H⁻ (log K₂:≈+3) and —SO₃ ⁻ (log K₃:≈−2.1) (Guthrie J P. Hydrolysisof esters of oxy acids: pKa values for strong acids. Can J Chem 1978;56:2342-54—incorporated herein by reference in its entirety) is leastlikely due to differences of their basicity constants by about 5 ordersof magnitude (vide infra). The basicity constant log K of any base B isthe pK_(a) of its conjugate acid BH⁺.

Inhibition of calcium sulfate (gypsum) scaling by PZA 6 was carried outusing supersaturated solution of CaSO₄ containing Ca²⁺ (3×866.7 mg/Li.e., 2600 mg/L) and SO₄ ²⁻ (3×2100 mg/L i.e. 6300 mg/L) where a typicalanalysis of a reject brine at 70% recovery from a Reverse Osmosis plantrevealed the presence of 866.7 mg/L and 2100 mg/L Ca²⁺ and SO₄ ²⁻,respectively (Butt F H, et al.; Pilot plant evaluation of advanced vs.conventional scale inhibitors for RO desalination. Desalination 1995;103:189-198—incorporated herein by reference in its entirety). Theconcentration of reject brine (i.e., concentrated brine (CB)) is denotedas 1 CB.

The evaluation of the newly developed scale inhibitor PZA 6 wasperformed in 3 CB solutions supersaturated with respect to CaSO₄ asconfirmed from solubility data of CaSO₄. To a solution of 6 CB calciumchloride (60 mL) containing PZA 6 (40 ppm i.e. 40 mg/L) at 40° C.±1° C.was added quickly a preheated (40° C.) solution of 6 CB sodium sulfate(60 mL). The resultant 3 CB solution containing 20 ppm of PZA 6 wasstirred at 300 rpm using a magnetic stir-bar, and conductivitymeasurements were made at an interval of every 10 min initially toquantify the effectiveness of the newly developed antiscalant. The dropin conductivity indicates the precipitation of CaSO₄. Induction time wasmeasured with a decrease in conductivity when precipitation started.Visual inspection was carefully done to see any turbidity arising fromprecipitation.

Copolymerization of zwitterion monomer 4 and SO₂ afforded alternatepolyzwitterion (PZ) 5 in excellent yields (Scheme 1). An initiatorconcentration of 4 mg/mmol monomer (entry 3, Table 1) gave the copolymerhaving the highest intrinsic viscosity [η]. PZ (±) 5 was hydrolyzed inHCl/H₂O to give PZA (±) 6 which on neutralization with 1 and 2equivalents of NaOH is expected to generate polyzwitterion/anion (PZAN)(±−) 7 and polyzwitterion/dianion (PZDAN) (±=) 8.

PZ 5 was observed to be stable up to around 266° C. as evident from thethermogravimetric analysis (TGA) curve (FIG. 3); an initial loss of 5%was attributed to the loss of moisture. FIG. 3 is a TGA curve of PZ 5.The first steep weight loss of 40% in the temperature range 266-320° C.range was due to the combined losses of sulfopropyl moiety (26%) and SO₂(14%). The second gradual loss of 36% in the 320-800° C. range was theresult of decomposition of the phosphonate ester functionality and therelease of H₂O, NO_(x) and CO₂ gases (Martinez-tapia HS, Cabeza A,Bruque H, Pertierra P, Garcmh S, Aranda M A G. Synthesis and Structureof Na₂[(HO₃PCH₂)₃NH]1.5H₂O: The First Alkaline Triphosphonate. J SolidState Chem 2000; 151:122-9—incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety). The remaining mass of 19% is attributed to P₂O₅.

The PZ 5 and PZA 6 were found to be soluble in protic solvents havinghigher dielectric constants (Table 2). Even though PZs are usuallyinsoluble in salt-free water, the water-solubility of the currentpolymers is attributed to the steric crowding which makes it difficultfor the negative charges in sulfonate to move closer to positivenitrogens to impart effective zwitterionic interactions (Haladu, S. A.Ali, S. A. cyclopolymerization protocol for the Synthesis of a NewPoly(electrolyte-zwitterion) Containing quaternary nitrogen,carboxylate, and sulfonate functionalities. Eur Polym J 2013;49:1591-600; Monroy Soto V M, Galin J C. Poly(sulphopropylbetaines): 2Dilute solution properties. Polymer 1984; 25:254-62—each incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety).

A 5 wt % (±) PZA 6 in salt-free water remained heterogeneous while itbecame homogeneous when diluted to 2.5 wt %. The heterogeneous mixturebecame homogeneous in the presence of 0.1 M NaCl; however dilution ofthe homogeneous salt-added solution with salt-free water did not bringback the turbidity. For the pK_(a) value of 3.61 of —PO₃H₂ (vide infra)it was calculated that (±) PZA 6 will be dissociated to (±−) PZAN 7 tothe extent of 4.4 mol % and 6.1 mol % in respective 5 wt % and 2.5 wt %solution in salt-free water. Greater participation of thezwitterionic/anionic (±−) motifs in the dissociated form thus makes thepolymer soluble in 2.5 wt % solution. Note that the presence of NaClincreases the solubility as a result of increased dissociation; for apK_(a) value of 2.98 (vide infra) in 0.1 M NaCl, the percentdissociation was calculated to be 8.8 mol % and 12 mol % in 5 wt % and2.5 wt % solution. The presence of NaCl not only increases thedissociation, it also helps break up zwitterionic interactions therebyincreasing its solubility.

Interestingly it was observed during the dialysis of PZA 6 in 6.9 M HCl,precipitation of the polymer occurred within 1 h and its dissolutionafter 3 h. On further investigation it was observed that PZA 6 (30 mg,0.0617 mmol) remained soluble in 1.04 M HCl (2.30 mL); titration withwater (1.35 mL) led to cloudiness. The polymer (0.0169 M) thus becameinsoluble in the presence of 0.655 M HCl. Continued addition of water(50.5 mL) to the cloudy mixture leads to a colorless solution at apolymer and HCl concentrations of 0.00114 M and 0.0442 M, respectively.The equilibria presented in Scheme 2 may explain the solubilitybehavior.

Scheme 2 describes the effect of (PZA) (ZH₂ ^(±)) 6 under pH-inducedequilibration. For example, the reaction of (PZA) (ZH₂ ^(±)) 6 with aninorganic acid or an organic acid such as HCl. HBR, HI or H₂SO₄, morepreferably the acid being HCl, results in a soluble cationicpolyelectrolyte (CPE) (ZH₃ ⁺) 13, in which the sulfonate group of the(PZA) (ZH₂ ^(±)) 6 is protonated to yield a sulfonic acid that isconnected to the five-membered heterocyclic ring through an alkylenegroup. Further, dialysis of (CPE) (ZH₃ ⁺) 13 deprotonates the sulfonicacid and regenerates the (PZA) (ZH₂ ^(±)) 6. Extended dialysis withoutthe presence of HCl yields a soluble dissociated acidpolyzwitterion/anion (PZA) (ZH^(±−)) 14, in which the one of the hydroxygroups of the phosphonate group is deprotonated to provide a polymericmaterial having an anionic charge.

While the undissociated (±) PZA 6 by virtue of being zwitterionic isinsoluble in neutral water, the presence of HCl pushes the equilibriumtowards water-soluble cationic polyelectrolyte (CPE) (+) 13 which uponextended dialysis is transformed to water-insoluble undissociated (±)PZA 6 with the depletion of HCl. Continued dialysis in the absence ofHCl establishes the equilibrium: 6⇄14 in which increased dilution pushesthe equilibrium towards (±−) PZAN 14 in which the anionic portion of thezwitterion/anion motifs leads to greater solubility as a result ofincreased hydration of the expanded polymer backbone.

The strong IR adsorptions around ≈1216 cm⁻¹ and ≈1042 cm⁻¹ indicate thepresence of sulfonate and phosphonate groups in PZ 5 and PZA 6. The twostrong bands at ≈1315 cm⁻¹ and ˜1100 cm⁻¹ were assigned to theasymmetric and symmetric vibrations of SO₂ unit. The P═O absorptionpeaks appeared at 985 (in PZ 5) and 982 cm⁻¹ (in PZA 6). FIGS. 1A-1C andFIGS. 2A-2C show the respective ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectra of 4-6. Thecomplete disappearance of any alkene proton or carbon signals ascertainsthat the termination happens via chain transfer and/or coupling process(Pike R M, Cohen R A. Organophosphorus polymers I. Peroxide-initiatedpolymerization of diethyl and diisopropyl vinylphosphonate. J Polym Sci1960; 44:531-8; Butler G B, Angelo R J. Preparation and Polymerizationof Unsaturated Quaternary Ammonium Compounds. VIII. A ProposedAlternating Intramolecular-Intermolecular Chain Propagation. J Am ChemSoc 1957; 79:3128-3131—each incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety). The absence of the ester group (OCH₂CH₃) indicate its removalby hydrolysis as shown in the spectra of 6 FIG. 1C and FIG. 2C. FIGS.1A-1C are ¹H NMR spectrum of (a) 4, (b) 5, and (c) 6 (+NaCl) in D₂O.FIGS. 2A-2C are ¹³NMR spectrum of (a) 4, (b) 5, and (c) 6 (+NaCl) inD₂O. The stereochemistry of the substituents at C_(b,b) in the polymersas cis and trans in a 75/25 ratio is similar to earlier findings.

Eq. 4 was developed to give a mathematical expression to rationalize thesolution behavior of symmetrically or asymmetrically charged ionicpolymers (Everaers R, Johner A, Joanny J-F. Complexation andprecipitation in polyampholyte solutions. Europhys Lett 1997;37:275-280; Candau F, Joanny J-F. In: Salamone J C, editor.Polyampholytes (Properties in Aqueous Solution). Boca Raton, Fla.: CRCPress; 1996 p. 5462-76. vol. 7; Wittmer J, Johner A, Joanny J-F. Randomand alternating polyampholytes. Europhys Lett 1993; 24(4):263-268—eachincorporated herein by reference in its entirety).

$\begin{matrix}{v^{*} = {{- \frac{{\pi \left( {fI}_{B} \right)}^{2}}{\kappa_{S}}} + \frac{4\; \pi \; I_{B}\Delta \; f^{2}}{\kappa_{S}^{2}}}} & (4)\end{matrix}$

where f is the total fraction of charged monomers, Δf is the chargeimbalance, I_(B) is the Bjerrum length, and κ_(S) is the Debye-Huckelscreening parameter. For symmetrically charged polymers i.e. polymershaving equal number of charges of both algebraic signs, the second termin eq. 4 is eliminated by virtue of Δf=0. In this case the negativeexcluded volume (v*) indicates contraction to a collapsed coil. Thesecond term in eq 4 describes the shielding of the Coulombic repulsiveinteractions as a result of Δf≠0. In the event of charge imbalance aswell as domination of second term over the first, the positiveelectrostatic excluded volume (v*) leads to expansion to a semicoil.

The dependence of viscosity of behavior of (±) PZ 5 on the concentrationof NaCl is shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is a graph using an UbbelohdeViscometer at 30° C. that shows the viscosity behavior of (±) PZ 5 in ▪1M NaCl, □ 0.5 M NaCl, ▴ 0.1 M NaCl, and Δ salt-free water. (Polymer usedfrom entry 3, Table 1). The intrinsic viscosity [η] in 0 M (salt-freewater), 0.1 M, 0.5 M and 1.0 M NaCl was measured to be 0.697, 0.901,0.988, and 1.03 dL/g, respectively. For the electroneutral (±) PZ 5 withΔf=0, the viscosity values increases with the increase in saltconcentrations. The Cl⁻ ions effectively shield or bind the positivenitrogens whereas Na⁺ with its large hydration shell cannot reach closeenough to shield the anionic charges thus resulting in negation of theelctroneutrality of (±) PZ 5. A net negative charge on (±) PZ 5 thusbrings the first as well as second terms in eq 4 to be reckoned therebymaking the Δf lesser negative with the increase of NaCl concentrations.This leads to increase in the viscosity values in compare to viscosityin salt-free water. Note that the jump in the [η] values fromsalt-free-water to 0.1 M NaCl is much greater than when the solvent ischanged from 0.1 M to 0.5 or 1 M NaCl. Lesser changes in the viscosityvalues at the higher concentrations of salt (0.5 M or more) isattributed to the near completion of screening of the zwitterionicmotifs resulting in insignificant electrostatic contribution to thepolymer size.

FIG. 5 shows the viscosity behavior of 5-8 in salt-free water. FIG. 5 isa graph using an Ubbelohde Viscometer at 30° C. that shows the viscositybehavior in salt-free water of: (a) ▪ (±=) PZDAN 8, (b) □ (±−) PZAN 7,(c) ▴ (±) PZ 6 and (d) Δ (±) PZ 5. (All polymers are derived from entry3, Table 1) [Inset describes the viscosity plot in the dilution range0.0625-0.0156 g/dL]. Rather than a polyzwitterion, viscosity plots of6-8 resemble that of a polyelectrolyte i.e. concave upwards. Increase ofreduced viscosity with decreasing concentrations of polymer (±) PZA 6and (±−) PZAN 7 is attributed to their increased dissociation to thezwitterionic/anionic motifs of (±−) PZAN 7 and zwitterionic/dianionicmotifs of (±=) PZDAN 8, respectively. Note that (±) PZA 6 has muchhigher viscosity values than that of (±) PZA 6 as a result of the aciddissociation (FIG. 5).

Based on the pK_(a) value of 2.98 in 0.1 M NaCl (vide infra), the extentof dissociation of —PO₃H₂ of (±) PZA 6 to —PO₃H⁻ of (±−) PZAN 7 insolutions having polymer concentration of 1, 0.5, 0.25 and 0.125 g/dL isdetermined to be 19, 25, 34, and 44 mol %, respectively. FIG. 6 is agraph using an Ubbelohde Viscometer at 30° C. that shows the viscositybehavior in 0.1 M NaCl of: ▪ (±=) PZDAN 8, □ 1:1 (±−) PZAN 7/(±=) PZDAN8; ▴ (±−) PZAN 7, Δ 1:1 (±) PZA 6/(±−) PZAN 7, and  (±) PZA 6 (allpolymers are derived from entry 3, Table 1). The viscosity plot (FIG. 6)of 7 remains linear since the weak acidity of —PO₃H⁻ (pK_(a): 7.9) in 7leads to insignificant level of dissociation to—PO₃ ²⁻ of (±=) PZDAN 8:the percent dissociation remains 0.07-0.2 mol % in the concentrationrange 1-0.125 g/dL. For a pK_(a) value of 3.61 in salt-free water (videinfra), the corresponding respective percent dissociation is determinedas 9.5, 13, 18, and 25 mol %, which are less than that in 0.1 M NaCl.Inspection of FIGS. 5 and 6 reveals that the polelectrolyte effect in 6is more pronounced in salt-free water than in 0.1 M NaCl, while theopposite behavior was expected since the increased dissociation to (±−)7 in 0.1 M NaCl should lead to higher values for the Δf owing to thepresence of higher percentage of charge asymmetric zwitterionic/anionicmotifs (±−). As discussed earlier, the importance of the second term ineq 4 increases with the increasing Δf values. However, the lowerviscosity values in 0.1 M NaCl is attributed to the greater contractionof the polymer chain by shielding of the (±)—PO₃H⁻anions by Na⁺ ions(polyelectrolyte effect) than the expansion caused as a result ofdisruption of zwitterionic interactions.

FIG. 6 displays the viscosity plots for the polymers 5-8 havingidentical number of repeating units. Conversion of (±) PZA 6 by additionof 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2 equivalents of NaOH to 1:1 (±) PZA 6/(PZAN) (±−)7, (PZAN) (±−) 7, 1:1 (PZAN) (±−) 7/(PZDAN) (±=) 8, and (PZDAN) (±=) 8,respectively, results in the increase in viscosity values as a result ofincreasing concentration of the anionic portions. The anionic motifsthus dominate the viscosity behavior.

The basicity constant log K₁ for the protonation of the —PO₃ ²⁻ (in 8))in salt-free water and 0.1 M NaCl were determined to be 9.51 and 7.90,respectively (Table 3), while log K₂ for the respective protonation ofthe —PO₃H⁻ (in 7) were found to be 3.61 and 2.98 (Table 4). The log Kvalues are thus found to be higher than those of the correspondingmonomers 10 and 11 (Scheme 1). All the n_(i) values of greater than 1ascertain the “apparent” (Barbucci R, Casolaro M, Danzo N, Barone V,Ferruti P, Angeloni A. Effect of different shielding groups on thepolyelectrolyte behavior of polyamines. Macromolecules 1983;16:456-62—incorporated herein by reference in its entirety) nature ofthe basicity constants as evident from Tables 3 and 4 and alsodemonstrated in FIG. 7, which reveals a decrease in log K with theincrease in α as a direct consequence of a decrease in the electrostaticfield force that encourages protonation. FIG. 7 is a plot for theapparent (a) log K₁ versus degree of protonation (α) (entry 3, Table 3)for (±=) PZDAN 8 and (b) log K₂ versus α for (±−) PZAN 7 in salt-freewater and 0.1 M NaCl (entry 3, Table 4). Unlike monomer the basicityconstant of a repeating unit in polymer is influenced by the nature ofthe charges on the neighboring units. It is to be noted that for 11, nvalues of ≈1 for both log K₁ and log K₂ in salt-free water as well as0.1 M NaCl is expected for a small monomer molecule (Tables 3 and 4).Table 3 is shown below.

TABLE 3 Details for the First Protonation of Monomer ZDA (Z⁺ ⁼) 11 andPolymer PZDAN 8 (Z⁺ ⁼) at 23° C. in Salt-Free Water. ZH₂ ^(±) or Z⁻C_(T) ^(a) run (mmol) (mol L⁻¹) α-range pH-range Points^(b) Log K_(i)^(o c) n_(i) ^(c) R², ^(d)

Polymer in Salt-Free water 1 0.1759 (ZH₂ ^(±)) −0.1016 0.79-0.148.77-10.42 14 9.47 1.18 0.9992 2 0.2467 (ZH₂ ^(±)) −0.1016 0.89-0.138.57-10.51 15 9.54 1.15 0.9974 3 0.3244 (ZH₂ ^(±)) −0.1016 0.87-0.148.58-10.45 17 9.52 1.16 0.9970 Average 9.51 (4) 1.16 (2) Log K₁ ^(e) =9.51 + 0.16 log ┌(1 − α)/α┐ Monomer in Salt-Free water: Log K₁ ^(e) =7.53 Polymer in 0.1M NaCl 1 0.1995 (ZH₂ ^(±)) −0.1016 0.78-0.137.20-9.14 14 7.90 1.54 0.9904 2 0.2486 (ZH₂ ^(±)) −0.1016 0.80-0.137.15-9.17 17 7.91 1.42 0.9917 3 0.3034 (ZH₂ ^(±)) −0.1016 0.86-0.156.80-8.92 18 7.88 1.39 0.9980 Average 7.90 (2) 1.45 (8) Log K₁ ^(e) =7.90 + 0.45 log ┌(1-α)/α┐ Monomer in 0.1M NaCl: Log K₁ ^(e) = 7.12 ^(a)(−)ve values describe titrations with NaOH. ^(b)data points fromtitration curve. ^(c) Standard deviations in the last digit are givenunder the parentheses. ^(d) R = Correlation coefficient. ^(c) log K_(i)= log K_(i) ^(o) + (n − 1) log [(1 − α)/α].

Table 4 is shown below.

TABLE 4 Details for the Second Protonation of Monomer ZDAN (Z^(± =)) 11and Polymer PZDAN 8 (Z^(±) ⁼) at 23° C. in Salt-Free Water. ZH₂ ^(±) orZ⁻ C_(T) ^(a) run (mmol) (mol L⁻¹) α-range pH-range Points^(b) Log K_(i)^(o c) n_(i) ^(c) R², ^(d)

Polymer in Salt-Free water 1 0.1759 (ZH₂ ^(±)) −0.1016 0.53-0.233.44-4.70 15 3.55 2.13 0.9986 2 0.2467(ZH₂ ^(±)) −0.1016 0.53-0.213.56-4.97 16 3.64 2.25 0.9980 3 0.3244 (ZH₂ ^(±)) −0.1016 0.59-0.183.25-5.10 18 3.63 2.17 0.9970 Average 3.61 (5) 2.18 (6) Log K₂ ^(e) =3.61 + 1.18 log [(1 − α)/α] Monomer in Salt-Free water: Log K₂ ^(e) =2.74 Polymer in 0.1 M NaCl 1 0.1995 (ZH₂ ^(±))^(f) −0.1016 0.54-0.202.90-3.73 15 2.97 1.24 0.9929 2 0.2486 (ZH₂ ^(±))^(f) −0.1016 0.56-0.182.92-3.88 18 3.02 1.22 0.9906 3 0.3034 (ZH₂ ^(±))^(f) −0.1016 0.58-0.162.81-3.95 19 2.94 1.29 0.9925 Average 2.98(4) 1.25(4) Log K₂ ^(e) =2.98 + 0.25 log [(1 − α)/α] Monomer 11 in 0.1M NaCl: : Log K₂ ^(e) =2.90 ^(a) (−)ve values describe titrations with NaOH. ^(b)data pointsfrom titration curve. ^(c) Standard deviations in the last digit aregiven under the parentheses. ^(d) R = Correlation coefficient. ^(e) logK_(i) = log K_(i) ^(o) + (n − 1) log [(1 − α/α]. ^(f)titration wascarried out in the presence of 1.5-2 mL of 0.1222M HCl to attain therequired values of the α.

The higher basicity constants in salt-free water compared to values in0.1 M NaCl could be attributed to the entropy effects associated withthe greater release of water molecules from the hydration shell of therepeating unit that is being protonated in the former medium (BarbucciR, Casolaro M, Ferruti P, Nocentini M. Spectroscopic and calorimetricstudies on the protonation of polymeric amino acids. Macromolecules1986; 19:1856-61—incorporated herein by reference in its entirety). Thehigher viscosity values in salt-free water (FIG. 5, inset) than in 0.1 MNaCl (FIG. 6) in the dilute solution range 0.03125-0.0625 g/dLascertains the polymer backbone is highly extended and as such morehydrated in the former medium. A similar concentration range was usedfor the determination of basicity constants. The higher degree ofcontraction in salt-free water reflects greater changes in the hydrationnumber which results in entropy-driven greater basicity constants. Thehighest polyelectrolyte index with a n value of 2.18 is associated withthe progressive transformation of (±−) 7 to electroneutral (±) 6 insalt-free water (Table 4) (FIG. 5, inset) during which the negativecharges are less accessible to protonation as a result of their beingincreasingly buried in the globular conformation of polymer backbonehaving ionic motifs of 6. In 0.1 M NaCl on the other hand the 7 to 6transformation is associated with a lesser change in viscosity values(FIG. 6) in the dilute solutions hence lesser changes in hydration.

FIG. 8 is a graph that displays the reduced viscosity (η_(sp)/C) at 30°C. of a 0.0247 M (i.e. 1 g/dL) solution of polymer PZA 6 in 0.1 N NaCl() versus equivalent of added NaOH at 23° C. Distribution curves(dashed lines) of the various ionized species calculated using eq 2 andpH of the solutions in 0.1 N NaCl at 23° C. FIG. 8 displays aviscometric titration of a 0.0247 M (i.e. 1 g/dL) solution of thepolymer PZA 6 in 0.1 M NaCl with NaOH at 23° C. FIG. 8 also includes thedistribution curves of various ionic specie ZH₂ ^(±) (PZA 6), ZH^(±−)(PZAN 7) and Z^(±=) (PZDAN 8) as calculated from the basicity constants(vide supra) and pH values. The reduced viscosity increases with theincrease in concentration of added NaOH owing to increasing repulsionsamong the excess negative charges as a result of transformation ofzwitterionic species (±) to progressively increasingzwitterionic/anionic (±−) or zwitterionic/dianionic (±=) species.

Operation of desalination plants is often plagued by precipitation(scale formation) of CaCO₃, CaSO₄, Mg(OH)₂, etc. Inhibition of growthrate of crystal formation by commonly used anionic antiscalants likepoly(phosphate)s, organophosphates, and polyelectrolytes (Gill J S. Anovel inhibitor for scale control in water desalination. Desalination1999, 124, 43-50; David H, Hilla S, Alexander S. State of the Art ofFriendly “Green” Scale Control Inhibitors: A Review Article. Ind EngChem Res 2011; 50:7601-7—each incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety) is attributed to their ability to sequestrate polyvalentcations and alter the crystal morphology at the time of nucleation(Davey R J. The Role of Additives in Precipitation Processes, IndustrialCrystallization 81, Eds. S. J. Jancic and E. J. de Jong, North-HollandPublishing Co; 1982:123-135; Spiegler K S, Laird A D K. Principles ofDesalination, Part A, 2nd edn., Academic Press; New York: 1980—eachincorporated herein by reference in its entirety).

The reject brine in the Reverse Osmosis process has dissolved saltswhich precipitate in the event of exceeding their solubility limits.Antiscalant behavior of a supersaturated solution of CaSO₄ containing2600 ppm of Ca^(2|) and 6300 ppm of SO₄ ²⁻ was investigated usingconductivity measurements of 3 CB solutions in the absence and presenceof in the presence of 20 ppm of PZA 6. The results are given in Table 5and FIG. 9. Table 5 is shown below.

TABLE 5 Concentration of Ca²⁺ at various times at 50° C. in theabsence^(a) and presence^(a) of antiscalant additive PZA 6 (20 mg/L).Solution^(a) Blank with Inhibitor solution^(a) Scale Time Ca²⁺ Ca²⁺Inhibition (min) (mg/L) (mg/L) (%) 0 19.97 19.97 — 500 19.90 16.71 97.9890 19.48 16.48 86.0 ^(a)both solution contained Ca²⁺ and SO₄ ²⁻ at aconcentration of 3 times the concentration of concentrated brine (CB)i.e. [Ca²⁺] = mg/L and [SO₄ ²⁻] = mg/L

A drop in conductivity is indicative of precipitation of CaSO₄. Notethat precipitation started immediately in the absence of antiscalant(FIG. 9a : Blank). FIG. 9 is a graph that shows the precipitationbehavior of a supersaturated solution of CaSO₄ in the presence (20 ppm)and absence of PZA 6. To our satisfaction, there was no considerablechange in conductivity for about 500 min, registering a 98% scaleinhibition as calculated using eq 5:

${\% \mspace{14mu} {Scale}\mspace{14mu} {Inhibition}} = {\frac{\left\lbrack {Ca}^{2 +} \right\rbrack_{{inhibited}\mspace{11mu} {(t)}} - \left\lbrack {Ca}^{2 +} \right\rbrack_{{blank}\mspace{14mu} {(t)}}}{\left\lbrack {Ca}^{2 +} \right\rbrack_{{inhibited}\mspace{11mu} {(t_{0})}} - \left\lbrack {Ca}^{2 +} \right\rbrack_{{blank}\mspace{14mu} {(t)}}} \times 100}$

where [Ca²⁺]_(inhibited (t) ₀ ₎ is the initial concentration at timezero, [Ca²⁺]_(inhibited (t)) and [Ca²⁺]_(blank (t)) are theconcentration in the inhibited and blank solutions at time t. It isassumed that the conductance is proportional to the concentration of theions. Usually a residence time of ≈30 min for the brine in osmosischamber is required. It is worth mentioning that neither monomers 4 and9 nor polymer 5 gave any effective inhibition; since screeningexperiments based on visual inspection revealed that under the sameconditions the system becomes cloudy within 1 h.

Some properties of monomer 11, homopolymer 12 and copolymer 8 are givenin Table 6 for the sake of comparison. Table 6 is shown below.

TABLE 6 Comparative properties of monomer (±=) 11, homo- (±=) 12 andcyclopolymer (±=) 8. Log K^(o) ₁ Log K^(o) ₂ (n₁)^(a) (n₂)^(a) Salt-free0.1M Salt-free 0.1M IE^(b) Polymer [η] Sample H₂O NaCl H₂O NaCl (h)yield (dL g⁻¹)^(c) M _(W) Mono- 7.53 7.12 2.74 2.90 — — — — 11^(d) (1)(1) (1) (1) Homo- 9.32 8.19 3.26 2.83 98% 76% 0.186 4.37 × 10 ⁴ 12^(d)(1.33) (1.53) (2.16) (1.60) (8.3 h) Co-8 9.51 7.90 3.61 2.98 ≈100% 87%2.47 2.44 × 10 ⁵ (1.16) (1.45) (2.18) (1.25) (45 h) ^(a)n values arewritten in parentheses. ^(b)IE referes to CaSO₄ scale inhibitionefficiency with time written in parentheses. ^(c)Viscosity of 1-0.0625%polymer solution in 0.1M NaCl was measured with Ubbelohde Viscometer (K= 0.005718) at 30° C.

Copolymer 8, obtained in higher yield, has much higher intrinsicviscosity and molar mass as compared to homopolymer 12. Both thepolymers have similar values for the basicity constants (log K) andpolyelectrolyte index (n) even though the copolymer has an additionalelectron-withdrawing SO₂ spacer separating the repeating units. This isnot surprising since the spacer group is very far away from the locationof the negative charges on the phophonate units. One notable exceptionis the antiscalant behavior of the polymers; the homopolymer with lowmolar mass performed better than the copolymer having much higher molarmass.

Cocyclopolymerization of and SO₂ afforded the cyclocopolymer PZ 5 inexcellent yields. The PZ 5 represents the first example of apoy(zwitterions 4-alt-SO₂) (via Butler's cyclopolymerization protocol)containing phosphonate and sulfonate groups in the same repeating unit.The pH-responsive (±) PZA 6 derived from (±) PZ 5 was used toinvestigate pH-dependent solution properties that involved itsconversion to (±−) PZAN 7 and (±=) PZDAN 8 all having identical degreeof polymerization. The apparent basicity constants of the —PO₃ ²⁻ and—PO₃H⁻ group in (±−) PZAN 7 and (±=) PZDAN 8 have been determined. PZA 6at a concentration of 20 ppm was found to be an effective antiscalant inthe inhibition of the formation of calcium sulfate scale. The corrosioninhibition activities of both the homo- and copolymer using mild steelin several media are currently under investigation in our laboratory.

1. A process for making a polyzwitterion or polyzwitterionic acid havingthe following formula:

where n is an integer of 10 or greater, the process comprising:copolymerizing a monomer of formula (I) with SO₂ in the presence of apolymerizing agent,

wherein R is a C₁ to C₆ alkyl group or a C₆-C₁₂ aryl group or an Hgroup.
 2. The process of claim 1, wherein the alkyl group R is CH₂CH₃;and n is the number of repeating units in the range of 20-1,500. 3-7.(canceled)
 8. The process of claim 1, wherein the polymerizing agent istert-butyl hydroperoxide.
 9. The process of claim 1, further comprising:reacting the polyzwitterion or polyzwitterionic acid with an acidsolution to hydrolyze the P(O)(OR)₂ groups into groups of formula—P(O)(OH)₂.
 10. The process of claim 1, wherein the polymerizing occursin a solution of dimethylsulfoxide.
 11. The process of claim 1, whereinthe polymerizing agent is azobisisobutyronitrile.